The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-11
The State ROAD Must Be Protected.

The State Road Must Be Protected.
/ The Railroad Committee of the House has
reported favorably bill authorizing the
| extension of the Marietta and North Geor-
gia railroad from Marietta to Atlanta. The
Atlanta Constitution, in speaking of the
bill, says: The whole press of the State
unites in giving the measure its heartiest
! Endorsement, and no question before the
! Legislature hes been more generally dis
cussed or more emphatically approved than
this" Is not the Constitution slightly mis-
taken about the position of the press with
! respect to this bill! If we are not mistaken
a very considerable portion of the press,
when this bill was before the House sever
al weeks ago, in little different shape, OPP
posed it, The ground of opposition was that
the extension of the Marietta and North
Georgia to Atlanta would make the State
road less valuable by depriving it of part
of its business
1t is hardly probable that the Legislature
will pass this bill, and the people doubtless
would like to know the reasons which in
fiuenced the Railroad Committee TO report
it favorably II has not been very long
since the Legislature agreed to release the
Marietta and North Georgia from the pay
ment of about 800, 900 in bonds held by the
State, though the people were never quite
able to see why it did so. Is it probable
that it will still further favor this road by
granting it privilege that will injure the
State road to the extent of many hundreds
of thousands of dollars? If it does it will
fall far short of being a very jealous
guardian of the peoples interests.
The lease of the State road will soon ex-
pire. The question whether the road shall
be leased or sold is now pending. 1t will
have to be either leased or sold, and the
people want to realize all they can for it.
If the Marietta and North Georgia is per-
mitted to extend its line to Atlanta win it
be possible to either sell or lease the State
road for anywhere near as much as if the
privilege sought by the former road is de-
MED! OF course not Is it not, therefore,
preposterous to expect that the Legislature
will take from the pockets of the people
hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions,
of dollars for no other reason than to ad-
vance the interests of a private corpora
ton? \
The MORNING News said some time ago
that one of the strong arguments in favor
of selling the State road was that while it
remained the property of the State it might
be an obstacle to the granting of other char
tiers, but it never favored granting a priv
lege to the Marietta and North Georgia, or
any other road that would cause deprecia-
ton in the value of the State road
Every taxpayer in the State has an inter
est in the State road. In proportion as its
earning power is damaged the rate of taxa
ton must be increased Those who are in
terested in the Marietta and North Georgia
are comparatively few in number, and those
who are most deeply interested III it are not
even residents of the State What sound
reason, therefore, can be advanced for legis-
lation that will cause a depreciation in the
value of the property of the people and an
appreciation in that of a private corpora
ton?
When the original charter of the Marietta
and North Georgia was granted it was un-
derstood that it was to be feeder fo. the
State road. For that reason it was aided
by the State with convict labor. Now it
not only wants to cease to be a feeder for
the State road, but wants to deprive that
road of part of its business. Everything
it takes from that road it takes, of course,
from the people of the State
Does it not seem as if the people had done
enough for the Marietta and North Georgia.
Last year they released it from thepayment
of bonds to the amount of SlOO, 900, and they
certainly ought not to be expected to grant
another favor that will cost them very
much greater sum. If the members of the
Legislature consult the sentiments of their
constituents they will not open way for
the Marietta and North Georgia to Atlanta
as long as the State road is the property of
the State.